During menstruation, women will have an array of symptoms ranging from abdominal pain to migraines. Some women go through menstrual cycles seemingly unaffected, while others will have to take days off work because of the pain and heavy bleeding. Although this can be a part of the normal menstrual process, there are other conditions that may cause these symptoms.
Pregnancy
A few days after conception, the fertilized egg begins to divide until it reaches the blastocyst stage. Once it has reached this stage, it will attach itself to the uterine wall. At this point, most women will not even know they are pregnant, and the pregnancy will go unnoticed until the first day of the missed menstrual cycle. However, other women may feel slight cramping during this time, which may be like mild menstrual pain. Light bleeding--called spotting-- may also occur, at the time of implantation. This bleeding is often referred to as implantation bleeding. Implantation bleeding can be pink, red or brown and is usually so light that a woman only need to wear a pantyliner for protection. Some women may experience this bleeding close to the time that menstruation will begin.
Premenstrual Pain
Painful periods are categorized as primary or secondary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea is pain that usually occurs in healthy women around the time that menstruation first begins. According to MedlinePlus, this form of dysmenorrhea comes from an increased level of the hormone prostagladin. Secondary dysmenorrhea is caused by disorders such as endometriosis, fibroids, using an IUD, pelvic inflammatory disease, premenstrual syndrome, stress and anxiety and sexually transmitted diseases
Abnormal Pain and Bleeding
Although bleeding and cramping can be part of the normal premenstrual experience, medical conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome--PCOS can also trigger abdominal pain and spotting. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition that causes the ovaries to become enlarged and filled with small cysts. Although researchers are not sure of what causes PCOS, they have linked the symptoms to an over secretion of the luteinizing hormone, located in the pituitary gland. An over secretion of this hormone, causes the hormones estrogen and progesterone to become imbalanced. The hormonal imbalance causes painful periods, irregular bleeding, hair thinning and male pattern hair growth. Other abnormal conditions that can cause this are endometriosis and uterine fibroids.
Ovulation
Midway through the menstrual cycle, levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone surge. This surge causes a follicle in the ovary to open and release an egg. During this time, most women will have nothing more than clear discharge as a sign of ovulation. However, other women may notice slight cramping and spotting during this time. The cramping experienced in ovulation is called mittelschmerz. According to MayoClinic.com, researchers do not yet fully understand the causes of this cramping, although they speculate that it may be due to the ovary stretching at the time of ovulation or the escape of blood and fluid irritating the abdominal lining. The causes of spotting at this time are also non-conclusive, although one theory is that the bleeding may come from blood released at the time of the follicle opening.
Warnings
Extreme cramping, heavy bleeding, bleeding between menstrual cycles or passing large blood clots, should be reported to a physician immediately.
